Leading Australian betting sites believe that India will be pushed all the way by Australia, with this year’s World Cup predicted to be the most competitive yet.
With days until the action begins, can India really win the competition? Will they finally come good on all of the pre-tournament hype and lift the trophy? We have noted four major factors that could help India to ensure they are the last team standing this year.
Bowling Attack Depth
India are currently blessed with some excellent bowlers. In their series against South Africa, India were able to call on Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Ashwin, Harshal Patel and Axar Patel. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal have also featured for the India T20 team in the past few months.
Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the World Cup through injury, while Chahar has also picked up an injury too. The question India are now faced with surrounds whether they are to promote experienced seamer Mohammed Shami, or whether they should turn to Umran Malik or Mohammed Siraj.
Of course, losing Bumrah is a major blow for India. As one of the best pace bowlers in the game in any format, India will have to find a way to excel without their star man. This is something we believe they can do, such are the riches at their disposal.
Explosive Batting Lineup
You do not get into the Indian team as a specialist batsman unless you can really bat. At the time of writing, India are favouring KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Surakumar Yadav as their top four.
Against South Africa in their recent T20 series they all excelled. We all know how fluent a player captain Sharma is, and he is incredibly destructive when he wants to be. Throw in Rahul and Kohli when they are in form and India’s top three rivals any in the world.
The continued improvement of Yadav is something that has simply made India better and better. Coming in with runs on the board is ideal for any player, but Yadav does not seem fazed whatever the score is. His ability to score runs and rotate the strike is only bettered by his power. His brute strength saw 61 runs scored from 22 balls against South Africa which featured five 4s and five 6s. He was only denied more runs by some good work in the field from Temba Bavuma.
Further down the order there is more power to come, but this won’t matter much if the top four can continue to fire as they have of late.
Virat Kohli
The Virat Kohli factor is a real thing, with the batsman a global superstar for his exploits on the pitch. Kohli had gone through something of a lean patch with the bat, but the saying form is temporary, class is permanent rings true here.
Kohli has once again looked good with the bat in hand which bodes well for India as the World Cup edges closer. However, is his influence only felt when he scores runs?
Those in the stands want to see him smashing boundaries and scoring runs, but such is the character of India’s golden boy that he does not need to excel with the bat in every game.
Against England during the English summer, Kohli was not in the greatest of form, but could not be kept out of the game. Whether he was taking catches, firing up his teammates or galvanising the fans, Kohli seemed to be 10 feet tall on the pitch.
The influence an experienced player can have on the game is huge. Whether this is through a quick cameo with the bat or by calming down the inexperienced players when the boot is on their neck, Kohli provides the right presence at the right time.
Scoring runs will keep him in the team, but if he is only getting a decent score every other game, this will not likely curtail the influence he has on each match.
The Pitches
Each country will generally have its own specific style when it comes to the pitch they can create for the sides playing on them. In England, you will likely see green tops that are perfectly suited to the overcast conditions, which ultimately promote swing bowling.
In Australia, the pitches will likely be hard and dry due to the weather conditions, making express-pace bowling ideal. This is an area that India can exploit as they try to knock the opposition over. The loss of Bumrah is a major disappointment for India, but they have the bowlers to take advantage of the dry conditions and with criticism being aimed at Australia’s cricket selectors, India may edge of Australia.
In conjunction with this, India have always been able to pride itself on its spin bowling options, and they will likely play a major role at the tournament. Even if they are not there to take wickets, a good spin bowling option can be the difference between a side accelerating in the middle overs and them being unable to hit the boundary rope as the pace is taken off the ball. If India can get their mix of pace and spin bowling right, they will be a real threat with the ball.